2009 – 5th Grade Honorable Mention Winner.Emily Tang, New Jersey.
Giving or Greed: Which has a Greater Impact on Society?

We are all greedy, that is a fact. So answering the question as to which has a greater impact on society, I would definitely say greed because without people wanting things, there would be no opportunities to give.
My thoughts about greed have always been that greed is selfish, wanting or can be unkind. However, when writing this essay, I have learned that there are more meanings of greed, and that greed is not always a bad thing.
I think that there are two different levels of greed. One such level is when people want more than they already have. For example, some people wanting more and more types of expensive clothing or fancy cars. This kind is wanting, but in order to get, they would either grab it from other people’s hands or destroy things to get what they want. The second form of greed is also wanting, but not in such a self-serving way. Greed can help the world. Because we want more, we will work hard and invent more things because we need more.
Without greed, would there really be the society and world we have today? Without people wanting the best for themselves and their children, there would be no need to compete to live up to achieve our personal best. We would not move forward with our technology and knowledge. We would not have as much as we do today. We would be trapped in the past.
Greed can be helpful or harmful. It can be harmful because it takes over our mind. We cut down trees and destroy our land just to have the best for ourselves. We want land so we can build factories and businesses that will become part of our economy. We kill our animals until extinction. We dig and use oil like there is enough to go around forever. However, that is just one side of the story. There is a positive side to greed. It gives us the motivation to live a better life. Our technology is becoming more and more advanced because we are greedy. Because of wanting, we are where we are today.